Saturday, November 26, 2011

Penang Bridge International Marathon

How could anyone spend up to 4 hours running in a competition 99% of us would not win (not forgetting the involuntary leg cramp and severe dehydration)?

Well, marathon is more than just a run--it's about the spirit of Marathon.

It came from the story of Pheidippides, a Greek messenger. Legend has that he was sent from the battlefield of Marathon to Athens (approximately 40 kilometers) to announce that the Persians had been defeated in the Battle of Marathon (in which he had just fought). He allegedly ran the entire distance without stopping and burst into the assembly, exclaiming "Νενικήκαμεν" (Nenikékamen, 'We have won.') before collapsed and died.

It's about self-determination and the desire to finish the race, to achieve a milestone in life, despite the abdominal pain and fatigue.

Right, enough of history and philosophy crap.

The run was on the morning of 20th Nov, so I took the midnight bus from Duta Terminal to Penang expecting to arrive at around 5am--but the bus actually arrived at Sungai Nibong Bus Terminal at 3:30am-- only four hours!!

So no choice lor, had to sleep at the terminal lor. The terminal itself was deserted. I walked up into the waiting area and saw two beggars sleeping on the chairs.

This is my bed

Not a bad experience really, though the chairs were really killing my back. And by 5am there was a group of young assholes that came into the station and talked so freaking loudly with utter disregard for those who were sleeping there.

The next morning I planned to take a bus to the jetty where I thought I could find a place to stay, only to realize the useless information counter served no function. So had to jackpot again; stood at roadside and opened my eyes as big as possible and waved down every bus that passed by and asked where it was heading to. Oh by the way I found the taxi drivers very annoying. They always have been.

Took bus No. 401 to Lebuh Chulia and then walked to the backpackers lodge in Lebuh Muntri. From there I rented a scooter at RM30 per day and spent the rest of the day finding nice food and..... BLAH! PENANG BUTTERFLY FARM AND BEACHES! XDD

Hainan Fried Noodle. VERY NICE!! ^^ RM3.50

This Hainanese restaurant was located somewhere at Jalan Burma. The shop itself was pretty old, the electrical switches were those from the 60s'. It's a family-run restaurant and I really liked the food there.

Assam Laksa Jalan Pasar ^^ RM 3.50

This is the infamous Assam Laksa Jalan Pasar. It's way better than the one I tasted at Sungai Petani during my tour around Malaysia in May. It's more fishy, and the soup was somewhat sweeter.

ASIA CAFE Y U NO AT SUBANG?

Penang Road Chendol~ RM3.50

This was another must-try for me. I was asking about Penang food in Facebook and Kit May said this is a local favorite. Somehow I didn't really think it is super-nice, other than its overflowing chendol.. Taste wise, I still prefer Malacca chendol.

Oh Jian + Char Kuay Teow. Oh Jian RM 6, Kuay Teow RM 3.50.

Alligator Gar. Amazing species

Catfish

Baby Hawksbill Turtle

Grouper and Turtle

Penang Aquarium. Not bad. RM5 only.

Spatula... Why follow me to Penang? =.=

Rubbish on beach

Childhood

Bluespotted Stingray

I don't know what species is this. Some kind of treefrog?

Crab

Penang Butterfly Farm. YAAY~~~ ^^

Mandarin Duck

I personally love this one the most

I thought it's called the Pitcher Plant.. =.=

Dance of Death

Stink Bug

The power of zoom lens

The Moment

Determination

Tiger on the prowl

Lim Guan Eng

I believe that's Lim Guan Eng's car. Can we take shelter under Najib's car like those kids?

Clock Tower built in 1897 by a wealthy Penangite to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria. The clock tower is 60 feet high, representing 60 years of Queen Victoria's reign.

Finally I found this place wuahahaha~~

And finally....

Right... the guy is a famous DJ whose name I'm supposed to know but I aint really sure of...

It has been a fruitful trip really. Met Ivy after the marathon and she brought me to two successive assam laksa, and then the Khoo Kongsi Temple, and the famed Penang Free School, the first English-medium school in South East Asia, built in 1816. So you'd expect the walls to be crawling with legends.